This blog is where we share stories, announcements, and insights from around the iGEM community.
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Hardware, Software, Wetware – all are encompassed within the Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle of synthetic biology. In honor of 20 years of iGEM, we’d like to feature the Hardware developed by iGEM teams.
Synthetic biology holds tremendous promise for addressing global challenges, but like all powerful technologies, there also are risks of accidental or deliberate misuse that could cause harm. In honor of the 20th year of iGEM, I’d like to take a look back on some of the highlights of iGEM’s history in building a strong culture of responsibility for biosafety and biosecurity.
Twenty years ago, scientists were using an ad hoc approach to assemble genetic constructs, which required a lot of time and did not always work as anticipated. Tom Knight, an engineer by training, thought that applying standard engineering mechanisms could make the assembly of genetic constructs more reliable. And so, in 2003, Tom proposed an assembly method for standard biological parts, or “BioBricks”.
We’re 250 years into the industrial revolution, which is about being good at energy. We’re 70 years into the computer revolution, which is about being good at information. Now we’re at the beginning of the next revolution, which is about being good at matter, and the best tool for that is biology.
When I first heard about iGEM in 2021, I was looking for a way to help mentor and communicate with younger scientists about their research. Though it was uncertain as to whether the Jamboree would be virtual or not because of COVID-19, I wanted to get involved. I applied and was accepted to serve as a judge.
In the first post on “What is iGEM?” I asked you, the readers of the iGEM blog, to share what iGEM means to you. One of the common themes in the responses received so far is: iGEM is the pioneering organization of synthetic biology.
Industrial scale-up helps bridge the gap between laboratory experiments and real-world implementation by addressing technical, economic, and practical challenges. Because industrial scale-up will require significant innovations if synthetic biology is to continue being a game-changing industry, the iGEM Competition has an entire Village dedicated to the challenges of industrial scale-up.
Yeast spores are typically not considered a problem in most situations. However, yeast spores can become problematic under certain circumstances. To help mitigate this risk, all teams who want to work with spore-forming fungi, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, must first complete a Check-In Form to get permission from iGEM’s Safety and Security Committee.
As the iGEM Competition evolves each year, so does the way we do judging. For example, the last major changes occurred during the pandemic years and made it possible for all teams to participate whether they could access a laboratory or not. Now that pandemic restrictions have eased and teams are back in the lab, the Judging Committee has reviewed the judging criteria and the feedback we received, and have defined a few goals for the 2023 Competition.
The experience that you are about to begin is truly unique. You will be given the opportunity to dream up solutions with your multi-talented team, gain meaningful insights by engaging directly with the very stakeholders who you wish to impact, and learn how to advocate for your ideas to gain the space and funding to execute on them. An iGEM Project is a crash course in the essential skills that are needed to bring a project to life.
This year, iGEM is introducing three new Villages – Agriculture, Bioremediation, and Space. Though iGEM teams have worked on projects in these areas for many years, this will be the first time teams will be gathered together within these official Villages.
DNA Day (April 25) is just around the corner. As you can imagine, DNA is a rather big deal at iGEM. In just a few short weeks, the 2023 iGEM Distribution kit - containing thousands of physical DNA parts - will be sent in the mail to teams all around the world. Take a moment to consider what it means to have a curated collection of DNA parts from iGEM’s entire 20-year history arriving in your mailbox!
Ever since I worked on the Astroshield project with my teammates on the Sao_Carlos-Brazil 2019 iGEM team, I’ve been fascinated with how synthetic biology applied to space exploration can yield important insights for making life better here on Earth.
More diverse and inclusive teams produce greater innovation and overall better science. Yet, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields still exist within demographic bubbles due to the systemic and persistent exclusion of people based on gender, or ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, or other reasons. iGEM’s new purpose is to make sure that the field of synthetic biology, and all of the power that this technology holds, gets developed everywhere by everyone.
Every five years, the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention hold a Review Conference, where they make decisions about the future of the treaty. In 2022, iGEM brought 10 delegates to participate in drafting the Youth Recommendations for the Ninth Review Conference of the BWC held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2022.
This Saturday (February 11) we celebrate the International Day of Womens and Girls in Science - a day proclaimed by the United Nations aiming “to ensure full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.”
If you were in Paris for the iGEM Grand Jamboree, you may have already heard the news – Asimov is partnering with iGEM to build the future of mammalian synthetic biology! We are thrilled to be giving back to the community that has helped inspire, support, and connect students with each other to make synthetic biology the technology that will transform the world.
As we near the end of 2022, all of us at iGEM HQ wish to express our appreciation for the many people who have dedicated their time, talent, work, and support in helping ensure that the field of synthetic biology, and all of the power this technology holds, gets developed everywhere by everyone.
This past week, iGEM sent six delegates from the Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program to Montréal, Canada to participate in the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity by the United Nations. There, they will present and discuss existing and future approaches to tackling one of the greatest challenges of our planet.
We were invited to the Grand Jamboree by the iGEM Design League, who hosted our presentations. We discussed how synthetic biology has made our achievements possible. Sean's presentation, titled "Transforming Medicine Through Synthetic Biology: A Look at the Future of Synthetic Biology," discussed Synlogic's approach to producing our drugs and how our team applies genetic engineering to probiotics that are already well-understood (or well-characterized) by scientists.
